When I saw this book existed, I knew I needed to read it! A combination of art of horror stories? Yes, please! Where do I sign up?
I more than enjoyed Collage Macabre: An Exhibition of Art Horror. The stories within are surreal representations of what it feels like to make, view, and experience art. A well-written story is its own form of art. These stories were masterpieces. The collection includes examples of Gothic, folk, contemporary horror and more; all covering art forms ranging from performance, painting, sculpting, graffiti, and the list goes on. There’s so much variety to be found in these stories. If you love or appreciate art in any form, I strongly recommend this book! I found so many new-to-me authors that I now intend to follow.
A few stories that stood out to me include:
Chiaro Obscuro by Alex Wolfgang – a written representation of how it feels to see the world around you when creating art. This story takes the experience to an entirely new level.
Darned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t by Nikki R. Leigh – Needing extra money to cover the expense of vet bills, a crochet side hustle turns into a surreal experience.
Two of my absolute favorite stories in the collection pack a wealth of character development, tradition, and emotion into a few short pages and end on a haunting note – The Lament of San Miguel by Mary Rajotte, and Breath, Blow, Burn by Ai Jiang.
I love a good anthology, but they rarely make my list of favorite reads of the year. Collage Macabre may be an exception to that trend. Five stars!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Mysteries and Mayhem 